Britney Spears urges judge to end guardianship

Britney Spears
Britney Spears urges judge to end guardianship

 

NUT Desk- LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears urged a judge in an emotional hearing Wednesday to end an “abusive” guardianship that gave her father control of her affairs in 2008. “I just want my life back. It´s been 13 years and it´s enough,” Spears said in the 20-minute address via videolink as diehard fans chanted their support outside the courtroom. The 39-year-old star´s finances and personal life have been largely managed by Jamie Spears since her highly public breakdown more than a decade ago, leading some fans to launch a “FreeBritney” online campaign in recent years. In a speech where Spears barely stopped to catch her breath, the star said that, under the legal arrangement, she has been prevented from having a contraceptive implant removed, despite wanting more children. The mother of two said it had left her “traumatized” and “depressed.”

“I´m not happy. I can´t sleep. I´m so angry. It´s insane,” she said, adding that she cries every day. “I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive. I want changes, I deserve changes,” Spears pleaded to Judge Brenda Penny. The singer has rarely spoken directly about the guardianship but her lawyer Samuel Ingham said in April that Spears wanted to directly address the court, resulting in Wednesday´s hearing. Spears has long had a difficult relationship with her father. Last year, she filed to remove him from the conservatorship and give sole power over her estate to a financial institution. Her court-appointed lawyer said she was “afraid” of her father.

Devoted Spears fans have long scoured her social media accounts for hints about her well-being, and any sign that she may be eager to throw off the guardianship. Confidential records published Tuesday by the New York Times said Spears told a court investigator that the conservatorship had “become an oppressive and controlling tool against her” as far back as 2016. Spears reportedly said the guardianship system had “too much control… Too, too much!” and that she was prevented from making her own decisions on friendships, dating, spending and even the color of her kitchen cabinets. According to the Times report, Spears told the investigator that she wanted the conservatorship terminated as soon as possible, and that she was “sick of being taken advantage of.”

Britney Spears
Britney Spears urges judge to end guardianship

Spears´ revelation that the conservatorship is preventing her from removing a contraceptive IUD — despite her wanting to take authority of her own birth control medication in order to get pregnant — sparked further outrage from fans and reproductive rights groups online. “We stand in solidarity with Britney and all women who face reproductive coercion. Your reproductive health is your own — and no one should make decisions about it for you. #FreeBritney,” Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson tweeted Wednesday. Spears is currently responsible for footing the legal bills for both sides — including the hefty fees charged by the attorneys opposing her in the case.